Background

Liverpool BID Company is a private not-for-profit company that has a fantastic reputation across the city as a champion of local business, and a track record that has seen improvements across the city’s varied business districts. They work on behalf of their many levy payers to improve the city and its businesses making Liverpool an amazing place to live, work and visit. 

Established in 2005, their years of dedication to the city and it’s levy payers have seen the Liverpool BID Company experience sustained growth and increased exposure leading them to be in a position to re-invest into getting a new website that focuses on the user experience, making the website user friendly and easy to navigate for its BID levy payers and other stakeholders.

What was the opportunity?

Liverpool BID Company identified that their current website could benefit from a refresh that puts user experience at the forefront. The core objective of the project was to create a new user-friendly website that provides their varied audience groups with a fast, reliable, and easy-to-use hub for information about, and from, Liverpool BID Company.

We worked with the BID team to develop the new platform, which included a new user-friendly navigation, a revised structure, updated layout, new look and feel, and improved interface to help create a strong new user experience.

The new site required an easy to manage backend content management system (CMS) that will help the team at Liverpool BID Company add information/data to the site quickly and easily; and a clear simple navigation of information for stakeholders in the front end structure and layout. This along with other success factors such as accessibility, high quality user experience, SEO and page speed were to be considered as the key criteria of this project.

Why it matters

Liverpool BID Company brings additionality to the people of Liverpool through street transformation, connectivity and collaboration which ultimately enhances our community. They are passionate about what they do, and as a local business in Liverpool our community is always at the forefront of what we do.

We here at Kaleidoscope value communications that matter and we believe that the work that Liverpool BID Company does for our community is highly important to the people and businesses of Liverpool. Therefore we have been thrilled to be a part of implementing a high quality user focused online platform to enable them to continue to provide the highest quality of service to the people of Liverpool.

What did we do?

At the outset of the project we initiated an in-depth strategy and planning phase. Collaborating closely with the Liverpool BID Company team, we facilitated workshops to explore the organisation’s needs, the target audience and competitors. By aligning business goals with user needs, we were able to devise an approach and roadmap that included a detailed timeline, budget and resource allocation, in addition to a detailed scope of the project to ensure transparent and efficient workflow.

The key features of the site showcase a new and interactive events calendar with the ability to categorise events using a filter, a comprehensive data hub consisting of live footfall and consumer spending data, and a unique levy payer hub which allows users to find exactly what they are looking for quickly and easily when browsing the site.  

The events calendar provides the functionality of adding upcoming events that the Liverpool BID Company are involved with and also to categorise each event into a specific type of event, location or occasion. For example whilst  the Eurovision song contest was running throughout Liverpool each event could easily be found by going to the “What’s On” page and then navigating through the filters to the Eurovision category where all events relating to the contest could be found. The Calendar also features different layouts including List view and Calendar Month view.

The Data Hub section features a custom built API integration, as part of a bespoke WordPress plugin, which takes in datasets from footfall and consumer spending data services, runs a range of localised calculations to produce relevant Liverpool focused statistics, trends and charts, and then displays them to site users. This includes hourly updated live (hourly) data, monthly summaries and quarter-by-quarter trend analysis.

The unique levy payer sections allows members to quickly access Events, Offers and News specified to members only. This gives an easy route through the site for levy payers as once they have arrived at this page everything they will specifically need can be found throughout the page.

User experience (UX) design played a crucial role in the website’s development, and considerable attention was dedicated to this aspect in the planning phase and throughout.  Employing a user-centric approach to the sitemap, architecture and design, the resulting website was thoughtfully crafted to provide a clear, simple  and visually appealing experience for visitors. Our design team meticulously considered information such as architecture, navigation, and visual hierarchy to optimise user flow and engagement. As well as incorporating responsive design principles, ensuring seamless access and usability across various devices and screen sizes.

Before the launch of the site, we implemented a comprehensive quality assurance strategy encompassing browser testing, responsive testing, performance testing, and accessibility testing. By adhering to robust testing practices such as this, we ensure a high standard of quality and reliability for all of the websites we build.

A platform for growth

Working closely with the Enrich team we developed a new WordPress based site and secure content platform to allow them to sell and distribute their cross-curriculum active learning content digitally to schools.

The new website consists of a new front end with a refreshed look and feel and seamlessly integrates with a new subscription-based content hub. The hub enables customers to access a range of different content and resources, both standard and bespoke to the individual client and their subscription level.

We also integrated the new platform with Enrich’s PipeDrive CRM system, linking customers and sales data to allow them to market and communicate effectively with their customers and stakeholders.

We continue to work with Enrich Education on the ongoing evolution of the platform. Check it out now!

Why it matters

Enrich supports young people to be physically active when learning. Through delivering this project we are proud to have supported Enrich in scaling their ability to have a positive impact on young people’s health and well-being by providing creative, physically active learning experiences.

Enrich’s future growth plans were centred around the digital transformation of their products, a customer centric online platform to purchase and access them, and the integration of those with their wider set of business tools and systems. Bringing these elements together effectively into a single solution was vital to helping Enrich scale and progress their business priorities.

Inspiring a generation

Working with the existing Windmills Foundation identity, we initially created a visual concept for the site which was fresh and clean, whilst also aligning with wider communications and collateral that Windmills had produced.

This was then taken into development using WordPress in which we developed a three tier menu to enable easy navigation of the wide range of resources in a sustainable manner. Take a look at the site.

Alongside the website we also developed an interactive tool, using React, to enable users to discover the skills they love using and are really good at – try out the tool here.

Finally, we also developed a character-led animation to provide an introduction to the Windmills Foundation, its ethos and vision. This is carried on the website to provide a prominent explanation of the organisation – take a look at the animation on this page below.

Why it matters

Windmills Foundation has a vision to creatively collaborate with like-minded partners on exciting projects that inspire and empower young people to live their best lives and make their unique difference in the world. They take a whole life, whole person, whole organisation, whole community approach.

Empowering young people to be in control of their choices and their future is so important, and the role that Windmills Foundation plays in enabling this is fantastic.

A brand for expansion

Bethell Group is one of the UK’s leading privately-owned integrated construction and utility services companies. We were commissioned to review and develop a new brand identity for the organisation as it embarked on an ambitious expansion plan.

A collaborative creative development process, involving workshops with Bethell’s senior leadership, enabled us to identify the core requirements for a new brand that would support the future business.

We then developed a range of creative options for a new core mark and wider visual language that would not only represent the organisation effectively but critically work across a diverse range of touchpoints for an organisation that has employees across offices, in transit and on site across the country.

The final solution provides clarity on the new Bethell proposition, clearly defining its portfolio across two service areas (civils and utilities), with a visual language that provides flexibility for the utilities service to deliver targeted communications to its specific market.

Why it matters

Bethell are moving into an ambitious period of growth and recognised that a clear and strong brand identity was crucial to their aspirations as the organisation expands into new areas – providing a strong foundation to engage new clients and attract new employees.

Organisations like Bethell are critical to the flow of our society, putting in place the roads, networks and infrastructure that we need to live, work and play.

Making life easier

Riverside have redeveloped their customer portal, My Riverside, and commissioned Kaleidoscope to develop a new campaign to spearhead the launch and drive customer engagement with it.

My Riverside is a digital platform that enables Riverside customers the ability to easily manage their home through reporting repairs, checking accounts and making payments online.

Our initial role was to establish a distinctive creative concept that would set My Riverside apart from wider Riverside communications.

The platform had already been launched previously but did not achieve the required engagement, so this concept had to stand out and demonstrate that the platform was something to take notice of.

The concept used customer insight which highlighted the primary perceived benefit of the platform to be speed and ease of use.

We therefore built on this and brought it to life using a blend of copy lines and abstract photography, alongside a bright and vibrant colour palette, to articulate how My Riverside was quick and easy to use, and that customers could use the time they saved to do things they really wanted to do.

This was supported by a consistent logo device which reinforced the convenience of the platform and how it could be accessed anywhere, anytime and on any device.

The campaign was launched in a targeted way across Riverside’s customers using multiple print and digital channels, with different content being delivered to a range of customers segments to reflect the differing levels of service’s available in regions and variations in customer engagement with digital tools.

Why it matters

Managing a home can be complex and time consuming, and for many of us can seem overwhelming at times. The My Riverside platform aims to help make this simpler and easier and enable its customers to get on with the things that are really important to them.

Using customer insight to inform our creative direction was vital to the effectiveness of this concept – it provided absolute clarity on what was really important to Riverside’s customers.

Starting a conversation

Undiagnosed hypertension is a serious problem in Cheshire and Merseyside, but many patients aren’t engaging with their own potential risks. To support pharmacies and health trainers in providing blood pressure checks in the community, we created a new digital tool to help start conversations about blood pressure and wellbeing with the public.

The Happy Hearts web app aids health professionals, by offering a 2-3 minute intervention that leads to a blood pressure check. It was carefully structured in a way that encourages patients to talk about themselves, their life and interests, before allowing the professional to illustrate how the health of their heart plays a crucial role in their life. This will hopefully increase their propensity to take a blood pressure check.

The project was based on a qualitative study which looked at how to motivate people to make healthy lifestyle changes. This work identified effective ways to use conversation to motivate behaviour changes around risk factors, self-care and medication adherence.

This provided us with clear insight that the brand and tool must deliver against. This allowed us to create early concepts around a brand name, identity, look and feel; and a user journey to structure the tool in a way that would support both the patient and health professional.

The tool was developed and tested in collaboration with pharmacies, health trainers and patient representatives to define the best format, content structure and tone of voice. This ensured that we were able to develop the tool in a live and dynamic way, incorporating audience feedback throughout.

On launch, the tool was rolled out alongside a training package for professionals to drive their confidence and propensity to use the tool.

Following launch we have then gone on to deliver a wide range of targeted social media campaigns using a blend of static and animated content (see below) to engage multiple audiences across the region.

Why it matters

Undiagnosed hypertension is a serious problem in Cheshire and Merseyside, but many patients aren’t engaging with their own potential risks. Tools to spark conversations between the public and health professionals are vital to encourage people to take control of their own health on such issues.

The collaborative approach we took to co-create the brand and tool with patient representatives and health professionals was critical to the success of the project.

Impact

3.4 million reach from social ads

Since launch Happy Hearts has now become the brand for a range of related campaigns and has been utilised for practical tools in health settings, a detailed CVD website and multiple social media campaigns.

Shaping a vibrant future

Alpha is a long-standing housing association that has dedicated its life to housing and providing sensitive services for older people. It has more than 860 apartments in 11 local authorities across the North of England.

Against a backdrop of over 50 years of heritage, the organisation wanted to establish a fresh, new identity that would support its future strategic direction and ambitions. We were commissioned to work with Alpha and develop the identity, working closely with the senior management team, employees and residents from the outset.

Through an initial process of creative development, we explored a number of different themes for the identity to embrace, ranging from growth and vitality, through to care and happiness. This allowed us to identify the zones that truly aligned with the future direction of the business and start to consider how they could be brought to life across a core mark, positioning line and visual language.

A number of collaborative working sessions with the various Alpha stakeholders were then used to gauge feedback on the emerging creative proposals and identify key refinements that would ensure the identity resonated with residents and employees alike.

The final solution is built on the brand platform ‘shaped around you’, which reflects how Alpha provides its residents the opportunity to tailor their home, social and community life to their own preferences and live in an independent way. This is supported by a visual device that is comprised of triangles, which form the letter ‘A’ and use a range of vibrant colours, indicative of the diversity of opportunities on offer and the positive outlook that Alpha provides.

Why it matters

Alpha plays a crucial role in the lives of many communities across the North of the country through providing high quality housing and services to older people which provide a platform for their residents to live happy and independent lives.

Close collaboration with Alpha’s senior team and resident representatives gave us the perfect blend of strategic and customer insight to develop an identity that supports the organisation’s future ambition.

A brand for a new era of careers

The core brief was to develop, implement and launch a brand for a revolutionary new careers service within the University of Liverpool within just 10 weeks.

A graphic concept, based on a hexagon, was developed to represent the multi-faceted nature of careers opportunities available to students, along with a nod to the hard-working and industrious nature of bees and honeycomb structures. 

The hexagon was used to carry the core logo, which was required to work alongside the corporate University of Liverpool logo;

and it was also used to develop a broader visual language to communicate the various themes of the service and its proposition to students.

The visual identity was applied extensively across multiple channels, including: 

Why it matters

Engaging young people on their future careers is absolutely vital to encourage them to explore and identify what their future could be. The staid old model of careers advice was stagnating and didn’t represent the modern, dynamic nature of student life; so the brave and progressive ambition of UoL was critical to engage students in a different way.

We worked with a multi-disciplinary client team who were all focused on differing aspects of the service – from communications and IT to estate management and careers service leads. This required a robust approach to co-creation and engagement across a complex stakeholder set up.

Impact

Roll-out achieved within 10 weeks

The Career Studio has been identified as a trailblazing service in the sector across the country

Showcasing a leader in sustainability

Iceland has always been a responsible retailer, committed to ‘doing the right thing’ and disrupting the market to bring about change. We work with Iceland across a range of communications platforms to showcase the significant steps the retailer is taking through its sustainability strategy.

Initially this focused on the planning, design and development of a new website. This showcases the incredible stories that communicate how Iceland is not just talking about sustainability but actually delivering change.

It looks to build awareness of Iceland’s commitment to a sustainable future, build an understanding of its priorities and create a community of advocates for its approach to sustainability.

Following the launch of the site we have continued to work with Iceland through designing a wide range of their sustainability reports which focus on their specific actions and impact on priorities such as plastics, palm oil, food waste and carbon.

The digital publications aim to engage industry stakeholders, regulators, employees and customers alike – to build a movement behind doing the right thing across the industry and our communities.

Why it matters

Sustainability is paramount to our environmental, economic and social security and prosperity for the future. Enabling organisations such as Iceland to use their platform to drive conversations and show the impact that can be achieved is critical to influence change at a wider level.

Embracing the strategic direction of Iceland’s sustainability journey has been vital to us delivering some fantastic communications platforms. The website has been developed to showcase the depth and breadth of real actions that Iceland are delivering whilst also providing a flexible framework to reflect the evolving sustainability context.

Impact

87,633 users of the site since launch

The team at Iceland are so passionate and authentic in their belief that this is the right thing to do, and we have been delighted to support them in communicating their ambition.